Reflective Journal Blog for EDAT 6115

“Every teacher should have a clear idea of where the class is going, how it will get there, and how to know whether it has arrived” (Slavin, 2020, p. 349). This should be a universal goal of all teachers across the world. I know it is one of mine. I feel I can achieve this goal by creating objectives, based on the standards, that highlight what students should know and be able to do. I, as the teacher, must develop effective lessons that will help students accomplish the set objectives. Significantly, I then formulate assessments, formative and summative, to evaluate and to determine if students have learned what is set forth in the objectives. This will give me an idea of the quality of my lessons and how they may need to be improved for future lessons.  Concerning the context of my classroom, performance assessments are tests that I tended to utilize on a regular basis in my previous Kindergarten classroom. Slavin (2020) defines performance assessments as “tests that involve actu...

          What makes an effective learning environment? Researchers, like Slavin, have come to the conclusion that classroom management plays a major role in how positive and productive a classroom can be. Slavin (2020) emphasizes that “students who are participating in well-structured activities that engage their interests, who are highly motivated to learn, and who are working on tasks that are challenging yet within their capabilities rarely pose any serious management problems” (p. 280). When students are on task and engaged, the management problems are at a minimum. In turn, this allows the learning that can take place to be limitless and long-term. I feel that for a classroom environment to be effective and productive, classroom management must be consistently built/improved upon and maintained. Teachers, like myself, need to possess discipline when approaching undesirable behaviors as well as become good classroom managers. Concerning the context of...

So, what is the most effective way to teach students? Through direct instruction? Student-centered instruction? There are cons and pros to both types of instruction. Direct instruction is where the teacher directly delivers information to students (Slavin, 2020, p. 166). They play the main role in the learning process. The lessons are strategically structured by the teacher. I feel that direct instruction can be beneficial in that the teacher is the best source of information and the best feedback provider. However, student participation is at a minimum. With this type of instruction, students are more likely to be disengaged and get bored. In student-centered instruction, students are active participants in their learning process. They are able to collaborate with their peers and get hands-on experience through this instruction type. However, this type of instruction can also cause chaos in that students can become off task more easily. Not to mention, all students may not have the sa...